When we last saw Dean Winchester on Supernatural, his body was dead and his soul was suspended somewhere in the depths of Hell. If there's one thing that the action packed season 3 finale proved, it's that creator Eric Kripke knows how to drive fans crazy with a cliffhanger. Though we still have months to wait before we discover Dean's ultimate fate, Kripke recently spoke with TV Guide's Matt Mitovich and revealed a fairly significant spoiler for the show's fourth season. There's an interesting change coming to the Supernatural universe, and it may leave fans of the series rather unhappy.

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Some fans predicted that Dean (Jensen Ackles) would escape Hell fairly quickly and without any long-term side effects. According to Kripke, that's not going to be the case. The Supernatural creator told TV Guide that Dean will be cooling his heels in Hell for a long time, and that his bond with Sam will be massively affected as a result.

Does this mean that viewers will be seeing less of Dean as the new season kicks off? Not necessarily. In my previous article about the finale, I predicted that season 4 will pick up months after the events in "No Rest for the Wicked." If this ends up being the case, then Dean will have spent a long time in Hell before the season begins, and could return in the first or second episode. However, if the new episodes pick up where the season 3 finale left off, then it sounds like Kripke will be keeping the Winchesters separated for a long period of time.

From analyzing Kripke's statement, I have to assume that Dean will be returning with some sort of demonic mojo. I also believe that he'll come back from Hell as a much darker character. However, what could possibly happen that would dramatically affect the bond between the Winchesters? Is Dean going to come back as something a little more evil, or will it be Sam (Jared Padalecki) who has radically changed without his brother's guidance? We'll have to wait and see.

Spoilers usually set my mind at ease, but this little tidbit is going to make waiting for Supernatural's fourth season even more torturous.